News & Notes

The University Libraries are heartbroken and outraged at the countless lives ended by racist acts, including the senseless killings of Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, and George Floyd. These recent examples bring attention once again to longstanding and widespread injustices in our justice system and country as a whole.

The Libraries are a welcoming, inclusive, and safe resource for every person in our community. We believe that Black lives matter. Racism, violence, discrimination, oppression, and hatred are antithetical to our values, mission, and fundamental humanity, and will not be tolerated in any Libraries-affiliated spaces or services.

We at the Libraries must continue to listen, learn, and better understand injustice and the experiences of others in order to truly be a welcoming and inclusive resource for all, and are dedicated to doing the work necessary to be better allies of and advocates for the victims of injustice.

As part of this effort, we are sharing a series of resources and voices discussing social justice, racism and systemic racism, inequity, and injustice for anyone wishing to better educate themselves about these issues, or seek out perspectives and voices on them.

These resources include information on:

the history of injustices that have led to the current protests

the goals sought by some protesters

justice-oriented organizations

books and other resources to deepen an understanding of social justice issues

self-care resources

We thank Miami University’s leadership for their condemnation of racism and bigotry and commitment to inclusion, and share in their resolve to unceasingly work toward a Miami University that serves all.

Antiracism and social justice resources

Curated by the Miami University Libraries

These resources are not intended to be an exhaustive or comprehensive list, but rather an introduction to discovery for anyone seeking to better inform and educate themselves.

Articles and other resources

The 1619 Project - Project from the New York Times Magazine that “aims to reframe the country’s history by placing the consequences of slavery and the contributions of black Americans at the very center of our national narrative.”

Creating a space for conversation:

Richard Bradford Elberfeld (1923—2010)

Liberator

B.S. in Business Administration Miami University, Class of 1947

Yearbook photographs of Richard Elberfeld, 1943 and 1947

Richard was born in Pomeroy, Ohio and attended Miami University before volunteering as an ambulance driver with the American Field Service in 1943. He served with the British in India and was transferred to the European theatre of war in 1944. His ambulance unit was part of the liberation of the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp in April 1945. Richard spent four weeks taking care of camp survivors alongside the British Army. As part of his responsibilities, he helped clean and delouse survivors, oversaw their recovery, and arranged for the burial of victims. In his testimony after the war, Richard describes the abject horror he witnessed during his time at Bergen-Belsen and his difficulties coping with the trauma. After being released from the American Field Service in June 1945, Richard returned to Miami University and graduated in 1947. He was later honored as a Liberator by the U.S. Holocaust Commission.

Front cover of Nazi Hel SS, 1945 and Inside cover of Nazi Hel inscribed with the names of British and Canadian soldiers who liberated Bergen-Belsen

Richard’s story is one of ten extraordinary personal journeys of Miami alumni and faculty told in the exhibition, Bearing Witness: The Holocaust and Jewish Experience at Miami University, co-hosted by the Walter Havighurst Special Collections & University Archives and Hillel at Miami University.

John Macsai (1926—2017)

Holocaust Survivor - Budapest, Hungary

Bachelor of Architecture, Miami University, Class of 1949

John Macsai was born János Lusztig on May 20, 1926 in Budapest, Hungary into a middle-class observant Jewish family. As an only child, John grew up surrounded by a warm extended family who fostered his early love of art.

Images:

Portrait of young János Lusztig, undated

Portrait of István Irsai, undated

Snapshot of János Lusztig and his cousin in Budapest, 1941 July 6

When the collaborationist Hungarian government passed anti-Jewish laws in 1938-39, restricting Jewish enrollment in universities, John had to learn a trade. In 1941, John began to study graphic design under István Irsai, the Hungarian architect and graphic designer who created the Bauhaus Hebrew font, Haim. He graduated cumma sum laude from gymnasium in April 1944 and was forced into labor service in June of that year. John joined his father’s labor battalion in Austria but conditions quickly deteriorated as the Russian army advanced. On April 7, 1945, John’s father collapsed in the Austrian Alps on a death march to Mauthausen concentration camp. Forced to leave his father behind, John endured three weeks in Mauthausen and Gunskirchen camps before being liberated on May 5, 1945. After liberation, John entered the architectural program at the Budapest University of Technology and Economics and later graduated with a Bachelor degree of architecture from Miami University in 1949 alongside Robert Diamant, a fellow Hungarian and Holocaust survivor. John continued to draw on his Bauhaus training under István Irsai and had a successful career as an architect, becoming an authority on designing housing for the elderly and disabled.

Images:

Display of student graphic design work by János Lusztig, 1942 May 3

Photograph of István Irsai tourism poster, after 1960

John’s story is one of ten extraordinary personal journeys of Miami alumni and faculty told in the exhibition, Bearing Witness: The Holocaust and Jewish Experience at Miami University, co-hosted by the Walter Havighurst Special Collections & University Archives and Hillel at Miami University.

Correction on 5/29/2020: An earlier version of this article claimed that John Macsa received a "B.A. in Architecture." It has been corrected to read "Bachelor of Architecture"

Preservation Week 2020: Preservation Boot Camp

By Kim Hoffman, preservation librarian

Every year for the past decade, the American Library Association has celebrated Preservation Week in late April or early May. This annual event is designed to raise awareness of the ways that our cultural heritage, including books and archival materials, are vulnerable to damage, as well as the work involved in safeguarding these materials.

While this April has been a month fraught with unprecedented pain, disruption, and uncertainty, the work of preservation continues. Our family papers, books, objects, and digital files offer an invaluable link between the past and the present. They are a powerful means of building connections between generations, but they will only survive to do so with proper care.

What is preservation, and how can you preserve your own treasured heirlooms? Join us this week for Preservation Boot Camp to find out. We will be answering these questions and more as we get your family archives into great shape for the future!

What is Preservation?

Libraries aren’t just a home to books: they also collect many other types of objects, many of which are rare or unique. At Miami University, the collections include circulating resources like textbooks; special collections materials such as rare books and postcards; and archives containing manuscripts, photographs, and artifacts. It is the responsibility of the Preservation & Conservation Department to ensure that all of these diverse materials are safeguarded for the benefit of the current and future Miami community. There are many tasks necessary to accomplish this goal, including:

Anticipating risks to the collection, such as from disasters, and taking steps to mitigate them

Ensuring a proper storage environment, with safe levels of damaging factors such as light, heat, and humidity

Conducting physical interventions, or repairs, on individual items​

The work of preservation is never “done.” Time and use will continue to take their toll on books and other materials in various ways, even in the best of circumstances. Maintaining our collections is a big job, and we rely on our student workers to help us get it all done. In the Preservation Lab, our talented students build boxes, sew protective covers, repair bindings, and more!

Preservation Boot Camp

Now that you know a bit about what we do at the library, take a moment to think about your own family records and heirlooms. Many families pass down unique and irreplaceable evidence of the people and events of the past. Photo albums, deeds, wedding dresses, digital journals--your family archive might be big or small, old or new, consisting of any and every type of material. Whatever the object, just like in a library setting, your archives are subject to damage and deterioration over time. However, with a few safeguards in place, you can preserve your heirlooms for many years to come.

If after this, you’re ready and excited to get serious about preservation, then you’re in luck! Join us each day next week for Preservation Boot Camp, when we’ll be providing tips and tricks for preserving your family papers, books, objects, or digital files. Have preservation-related questions of your own? We’ll be answering those too! Just head over to the @MiamiOH.spec Instagram account to see tips, and send us a message on Instagram between now and April 30th to be included. We can’t wait to hear your questions! See you on Instagram.

In this time of upheaval and loss, it feels natural to turn to our family heirlooms for comfort. As you join us this Preservation Week, we hope that you find joy in reconnecting with the unique materials in your personal collection.

Robert Diamant (1922—2015)

Holocaust Survivor - Budapest, Hungary

Bachelor of Architecture, Miami University, Class of 1949

Robert Diamant was born on April 22, 1922 in Budapest, Hungary into a family that included a number of architects. Robert attended Jewish schools for his primary and secondary education but his university plans changed when the collaborationist Hungarian government passed anti-Jewish laws in 1938-39, drafting all Jewish men 21-48 into forced labor service.

Robert worked as a bricklayer until 1943, when he turned 21 and was sent to a series of labor camps. In January 1945, Robert became a prisoner at Mauthausen near Linz, Austria before being evacuated to Gunskirchen Lager, a satellite concentration camp in March 1945. He was liberated from Gunskirchen on May 4, 1945 by the 71st Infantry Division of the U.S. Army.

After liberation, Robert enrolled in the architecture program at Budapest University of Technology and Economics where he met his future architecture partner and fellow Miami alumnus, John Macsai. In 1947, Robert and John Macsai won first prize for their design of the Memorial to Jewish Martyrs in the Kozma Street Cemetery, the largest Jewish cemetery in Hungary. Although their design was never built, their work earned them national and later international recognition--eventually leading to the B'nai B'rith scholarships that brought them to Miami University in 1947.

Robert graduated from Miami University with a degree in architecture in 1949 and joined Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, where he later became a managing partner. Over the course of his distinguished career, Robert completed 100 building projects and won several prestigious architecture awards. In his testimony to the American Jewish Committee in 1975, Robert said that he was drawn to architecture because he wanted to create something out of the destruction and violence he witnessed during the war.

Robert Diamant’s story is one of ten extraordinary personal journeys of Miami alumni and faculty told in the exhibition, Bearing Witness: The Holocaust and Jewish Experience at Miami University, co-hosted by the Walter Havighurst Special Collections & University Archives and Hillel at Miami University.

Correction on 5/29/2020: An earlier version of this article claimed that Robert Diamant​ received a "B.A. in Architecture." It has been corrected to read "Bachelor of Architecture"

Fred B. Lavin (1922—2005)

Jewish Soldier

B.S. in Business Administration Miami University, Class of 1945

Born in Canton, Ohio, Fred was a student at Miami University from 1941-1943, where he was heavily involved with the Zeta Beta Tau fraternity. In 1943, Fred joined the V-12 program at Miami University. The V-12 program was a national initiative that trained officers for the U.S. Navy in American universities. Following the completion of the program, Fred was commissioned as an ensign in the U.S. Navy and served in the Pacific. During the war, Fred exchanged letters with his younger brother, Carl, who was stationed in Europe. Although the brothers wrote about their different experiences in the war, their letters also shared a desire to reconnect about mutual friends, family, and their student days at Miami University. After being discharged from the Navy for medical reasons, Fred returned to Miami and graduated in 1945. Fred helped the family business in Canton alongside his brother Carl until 1969. Frank Lavin, former U.S. Ambassador to Singapore, wrote about his uncle’s wartime experiences in his book, Home Front to Battlefront: An Ohio Teenager in World War II (Ohio University Press, 2016).

Fred Lavin’s story is one of ten extraordinary personal journeys of Miami alumni and faculty told in the exhibition, Bearing Witness: The Holocaust and Jewish Experience at Miami University, co-hosted by the Walter Havighurst Special Collections & University Archives and Hillel at Miami University.

Carl H. Lavin (1924—2014)

Jewish Soldier

B.S. in Business Administration Miami University, Class of 1948

Born in Canton, Ohio, Carl studied at Miami University until May 1943, when he was called into active duty in the U.S. Army. Lavin fought on the front lines of the Battle of the Bulge, where his unit suffered major casualties. Carl was able to maintain a steady correspondence with his family during the war and his letters provide a window into everyday life in the military. In the weeks after the war, General Eisenhower issued an order that any American Jewish soldier could visit a liberated camp to see the devastation of the Holocaust. Although personally invited by his company commander, Carl declined the visit because of the horrifying photographs of liberated camps that were being published in newspapers at the time. He would regret that decision for the rest of his life, but like many soldiers he had already witnessed enough death and suffering. Following the war, Carl returned to Miami in 1946 and became President of the Zeta Beta Tau fraternity. Carl’s older brother Fred is also an alumnus of Miami University. Frank Lavin, former U.S. Ambassador to Singapore, wrote about his father’s war experiences in his book, Home Front to Battlefront: An Ohio Teenager in World War II (Ohio University Press, 2016).

Home Front to BattlefrontAn Ohio Teenager in World War II

Carl Lavin’s story is one of ten extraordinary personal journeys of Miami alumni and faculty told in the exhibition, Bearing Witness: The Holocaust and Jewish Experience at Miami University, co-hosted by the Walter Havighurst Special Collections & University Archives and Hillel at Miami University.

John E. Dolibois (1918—2014)

Military Intelligence Officer and Nazi Interrogator, Luxembourg

B.A. in Psychology Miami University, Class of 1942

Jean “John” Ernst Dolibois was born on December 4, 1918 in Bonnevoie, Luxembourg into a strict Catholic family. After John’s mother, Maria, died, the Dolibois family struggled through the economic depression. They emigrated to Akron, Ohio in 1931 where John excelled in school. He earned a scholarship to Miami University and graduated in 1942. Drafted into the U.S. Army in November of that year, John trained to be an interrogator at Camp Richie, Maryland. On April 13, 1945, John arrived in Europe for his first military intelligence assignment. En route to his post at the interrogation center in Mondorf-les-Bains, Luxembourg, Dolibois visited Dachau concentration camp and helped distribute food and water to recently liberated inmates. During his three months at Mondorf-les-Bains, John interrogated high-ranking Nazis captured during the war, including Hermann Goering and the antisemitic publisher, Julius Streicher. He also provided additional intelligence support during the Nuremberg Trials. John served as the United States Ambassador to Luxembourg from 1981-1985.

Dolibois’s story is one of ten extraordinary personal journeys of Miami alumni and faculty told in the exhibition, Bearing Witness: The Holocaust and Jewish Experience at Miami University, co-hosted by the Walter Havighurst Special Collections & University Archives and Hillel at Miami University.

Call for volunteers

Everyone’s everyday life has been touched or disrupted since the first appearance of the current pandemic, COVID-19. The adjustments we make, the emotions we feel, and the actions we take will one day be the subject of historical studies.

In an effort to capture the lived experiences by members of the Miami University community, the Walter Havighurst Special Collections and University Archives invites you to keep a journal documenting your life during this pandemic. Journalists may type or write by hand, transcribe news, draw or compose memes, compose poems, gather stories and so forth. No stress needs to be placed on “good grammar”, spelling, or style. The emphasis is on self-expression, candor and a willingness to be a social commentator.

Events are changing by the day. They are specific to you, and to your families and friends and communities. Please start writing now!

Frequently Asked Questions

Can my journal be anonymous?

Yes, of course! You may submit your journal anonymously, and must make this stipulation in your donation form when you are ready to submit. Please be sure that if you wish to remain anonymous that you do not self-identify in your journal.

Will these journals be made public? How will they be used?

These journals will be accessible to the public so that scholars may use them, and may be used for classroom instruction and outreach activities (e.g. exhibitions). However, you may choose when donating your journal to have it sealed for up to 50 years. In doing so, it will be inaccessible to the public for the duration of time that it is sealed. Your name will be attached to this journal if you do not choose to submit anonymously, even if it is sealed.

I want to respect the privacy of others, including family and friends. How can I better protect their privacy?

If you are describing the person, but don’t want to name them, you may give them a pseudonym or redact their names. Focusing also on the reactions you have to your interactions with them, including what you felt during those interactions, will also help to keep their privacy.

Is there a limit to how much we can submit?

There is not currently a limit to how much a person can submit. We do ask, however, that you inform us of what types of materials you plan to submit so that we can properly prepare, and may decline a submission if we feel that we cannot properly store it OR if it falls out of scope of the project. Please contact us if you have further questions about this.

Can we use vulgar/curse words in our submission?

Yes; this qualifies as a form of self-expression.

Are there any questions or prompts you would like me to consider in writing/creating my journal?

Consider writing about the ways in which your life has changed since the start of the pandemic. What is different about attending your classes online? What was that switch like? If you have children, how are you now balancing child care with your work? What are you anxious about, and what are you thankful for? Maybe you work as an “essential” employee, or are working in healthcare. What are those experiences like? What are your reactions to the news? This is by no means an exhaustive list, and there is no “right” way of journaling. Although some of what you record may seem mundane to you, those experiences will be instrumental and exciting to future researchers.

How often do I need to write? Does it have to be daily?

Participants may write as often as they wish and/or are able to write. The need for quality in this case surpasses the need for frequency. That being said, please write as frequently with as much detail as you are able.

I am not a student/faculty member/alumni of Miami but my spouse/children are. Can I still participate?

Of course you can! You can even include them in your journal by interviewing them, photographing them, writing about them, etc. If they are interested, you can also encourage them to volunteer for this project. Please contact us if you have further questions.

How often do I need to submit? Is there a final deadline for when this needs to be done by?

Please only submit once. You may make your submission when you feel that you are done. Let a project coordinator (myself or Jacky Johnson) know that you are ready to submit so that we can get you the donor agreement/permissions form that will need to accompany your journal.

Why am I required to complete a permission form?

They protect your rights as both an individual and a donor.

Is this a part of a larger project? Will it be published in any way?

This will become its own collection. There are no plans to publish the journals. The project itself might be published, but no journals or entries from them will be used, nor will donor information be given away. We want to make sure that the privacy of those participating in this project is respected.

I am already keeping a journal for a course. Would I be able to submit that?

Students of Miami may include course work in their entries if they would like, but will need to complete a FERPA permissions form at the time of donation. This form will be given to donors at the time of submission.

How do I submit my journal?

We are currently working on a submission form. We will send the submission form to participants when it is ready. We will keep you updated on all aspects of the project through email and the project page.

Erich Franzen was a well-known German literary critic and sociologist from Ems, Germany. He wrote for several progressive periodicals including Die Weltbühne, a radical publication that was banned by the Nazis in March 1933. An avowed antifascist, Franzen fled Germany in 1934 and emigrated to the U.S. with the assistance of the Emergency Committee in Aid of Displaced Foreign Scholars. The Emergency Committee was established in 1933 to counteract the strict immigration laws of the Roosevelt administration by arranging placements in American universities for the most eminent German scholars fleeing political repression. Of the 6000 scholars who applied for aid through the committee only 6% were selected. Notably, Franzen was one of only two scholars from the field of “Letters” that the Emergency Committee placed. The other was Thomas Mann. Franzen taught sociology at Southern Illinois Normal University and later at Miami University from 1940-1942. During his time at Miami he gave several talks about his experience in Nazi Germany, before taking a leave of absence to work for the U.S. Office of War Information in July 1942.

Franzen’s story is one of ten extraordinary personal journeys of Miami alumni and faculty told in the exhibition, Bearing Witness: The Holocaust and Jewish Experience at Miami University, co-hosted by the Walter Havighurst Special Collections & University Archives and Hillel at Miami University.

Images:

Photograph of Erich Franzen, Photo credit: Erica Loos

Letter from the Institute of International Education to President Upham, 1940

Western Union telegraph from Erich Franzen to President Upham, 1940

Letter from Erich Franzen to President Upham, 1942

Images 2, 3 and 4 Courtesy of the Walter Havighurst Special Collections and University Archives